Your Lord said to the angels, “I shall create a human from dried clay, molded from dark mud. Once I have proportioned him, and breathed My Spirit into him – fall down and bow before him.” So the angels all bowed down, except Iblis, who refused to bow with the others. God demanded, “Iblis, why did you not bow with the others?” Iblis retorted, “I will not bow to a human, whom you created from dry clay, molded from dark mud.”God answered, “Go out, then, from here, for you are surely cursed.” Surah 15:28-34
In the Qur’an, Iblis is described as a supernatural being referred to as one of the jinn, created by God from smokeless fire. Jinn have free will and can choose to be faithful or not.
When God commanded all the angels to prostrate to the creation of Adam, who stands for us, for all of humanity, the angels followed the command because they can only do God’s bidding. Iblis, out of arrogance, because he felt superior to those made from clay, refused to follow God and was expelled from paradise. Iblis pleaded with God to allow him to spend his time before Judgment Day roaming the earth with the purpose of misleading humanity. God granted his request.
Iblis, often depicted as cunning with great capacity to exploit human weakness, was the one who tempted both Adam and Eve to disobey God. He’s very good at what he does and continues to prey on humanity’s feebleness. Iblis doesn’t force sin; he creates confusion. He doesn’t overpower; he manipulates. He doesn’t battle; he lurks, in the shadows, whispering enticing justifications, tempting you to walk away from the path of righteousness, and then he disappears. And he has perfect timing, knowing that evil acts often happen within a single moment of making a bad decision.
Adam and Eve were no match for him. Once they saw their sin of disobedience, they asked God for forgiveness and God forgave.
Here are some of the pressing questions this story elicits: Why wouldn’t God give creation over to the angels who always do God’s bidding? And why would God allow Iblis to roam the earth and create such havoc?
In other words, why does evil exist?
The Adam and Eve story in the Qur’an attempts to answer the question about the existence of evil that has plagued humanity.
First of all, angels can only be an extension of God’s Light and God’s Perfection. Extension of Perfection is Perfection, not Creation. God is in the act of creating a creature who can say No.
God does not desire rote obedience. God desires a relationship with a people who have the capacity to choose. To say Yes to faith means you also have to have the capacity to say No to faith. And with the capacity to choose, to have free will, you have opened the way for evil to exist. Iblis is the perfect reminder of how easily we can be manipulated to distort truth, to embrace injustice, and to deceive others and ourselves. Beware!
With no free will, we could only be angels who obey, but God created a people who are capable of having a true relationship not only with God but with each other because we are responsible for our being. Our actions matter. Our hearts and our wills are honored.
And this freedom bestowed upon us at our creation comes at a cost. We are capable of destroying the world.
Even though Iblis may have his way with us, God has given humanity the capacity to reject this “lurking whisperer” by bestowing us with fitra, the capacity to recognize the good and with the innate desire to seek refuge in God’s guidance.
In the end, the Adam and Eve story in the Qur’an is not about disobedience and Original Sin. Rather it’s about the birth of free will, the birth of choosing for faith and the gift of fitra, our Original Blessing of recognizing the good, even in the midst of tests, temptations and trials.
And when we fail, because we will, we can always turn to God who is Mercy and gives Mercy granting us hope in beginning a new day, forgiven and blessed.
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While working at a boarding school for grades 9-12, I became a dean in charge of student welfare, which meant that anytime students were in crisis, they were in my office. I called myself the Dean of Unfortunate Events as a reminder that students who were sitting before me were in anguish.
A Senior who was in disciplinary trouble with the possibility of being required to withdraw from school just weeks before graduating was crying. He had made such bad choices, and he felt so guilty. He had betrayed his parents trust in him and after all the love and sacrifices they had made to provide him with an incredible education, he had frittered it all away.
“They have bought their airline tickets to see me graduate, even my grandmother.”
He was sobbing. I sat with him, and as the tears abated a bit, he looked up and said, “Do you remember that when I was a 10th grader, I took your course on Islam?”
I responded quickly, “Of course.”
“Well, I never really understood what Iblis was all about in the Qur’an. I liked the Christian idea of Satan as a fallen angel, waging war, and ruling the fiery underworld. He was cool. Iblis was different – just a supernatural force whispering doubts and stirring temptation. Iblis as an evil force, as an instigator, seemed weak. Now I get it. I surrounded myself with jinn-like people who made me feel invincible. And I made stupid decisions. And, who’s here in your office? Me, not them. I’m such a fool.”
My heart went out to him. “I suggest that when you meet with the members of the disciplinary committee be as honest as you can. Let them know all the details of your hubris, the exact moment you made the first bad decision, with your lack of judgment, your arrogance, and all the ways you didn’t think the rules applied to you. Take full responsibility. Especially how you’re going to make amends.”
“You mean like letting them know that I let Iblis be my really bad back-seat driver.”
I laughed. “Yeah, something like that.”
Day 14: Reflection
During these days of fasting, praying and being intentional about examining your life, reflect on what you think of temptation. Are there times when you let Iblis be your back-seat driver? How do you ask him to leave and return to your faith?
